” The words of the godly are a life-giving fountain; the words of the wicked conceal violent intentions.” – Proverbs 10:11.
Tongues can be weapons of mass destruction, launching holocausts and wars. Tongues can also be the death of marriages, families, friendships, churches, careers, hopes, understanding, reputations, and governments. But the tongue can also accomplish a lot of good. It is not much of a stretch to think that the problems of the world could be solved overnight if people could get victory over their tongues. What if there was no anger, no profanity, no lying, no grumbling or complaining, no unjust criticism?
Proverbs 15:4 says, “Gentle words are a tree of life; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.” However, words not only have the power to crush spirits; they also have a mighty power to lift spirits, to bring strength to the weary, to give hope to the hopeless, to put courage back in, to make souls stronger. What if we told people you are loved at your best, and you are loved at your worst; you are uniquely gifted. I see potential in you; I value you. I love you. Tongues can make marriages memorable, families strong, and churches healthy. Tongues can give hope to the despairing, advance understanding, and spread the gospel. It just requires us to think before we speak.
God calls us to cultivate a habit of speaking life-giving words. Ephesians 4:15 says, “Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.”
Perhaps the greatest outreach the church can offer is to become the kind of community that turns a regular faith into an irresistible one. What if all it took for us to become the “light of the world” and the “salt of the earth” to our communities was to choose kindness over criticism toward one another; giving the benefit of the doubt over assuming the worst in one another, and building each other up instead of tearing each other down. What kind of difference could we make if tamed tongues only spoke words of love, mercy, grace, and encouragement?
Psalm 141:3 says, “Take control of what I say, O Lord, and guard my lips.” God wants us to speak life-giving words. A loving heart produces a gracious tongue. A faithful heart produces a truthful tongue. A peaceful heart produces a reconciling tongue. A trusting heart produces an encouraging tongue.
Be a person whose words make a positive difference. “And so now, I entrust you into God’s hands and the message of his grace, which is all that you need to become strong. All of God’s blessings are imparted through the message of his grace, which he provides as the spiritual inheritance given to all of his holy ones.” (Acts 20:32 TPT)
Discussion questions:
- How have you used words for good?
- What can we do this week to use our words for good?